


just because we can

by xogray



Series: percabeth oneshots [33]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mortal, Arguing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fights, Implied Sexual Content, Making Up, barely tbh it's just at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:01:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26740021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xogray/pseuds/xogray
Summary: “aside from, like, you kissing my head when you get home. it’s been three days since we’ve kissed.”percy was silent and annabeth could see him working it out in his head. like a movie, she could see him replaying the past couple of days. he frowned.“i didn’t even realize,” he said.“that’s the point."- or the one in which they're too busy for each other. until they're not.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Series: percabeth oneshots [33]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1839274
Comments: 1
Kudos: 158





	just because we can

it was a random tuesday when she realized it. she and percy hadn’t kissed for three days straight, save for the two kisses he’d pressed to her head on his way in the door. annabeth frowned as she closed the fridge. she checked the clock on the microwave. 5:42 pm. 

percy would be getting off work in 18 minutes. and from there, he wouldn’t be home for at least another 25. from there, he would kiss her head, maybe, and head into his office as if work had never stopped. she wouldn’t see him until about 7 pm when he finally would come looking for dinner. he’d ask annabeth if she’d eaten yet and then make something quick for either him or both of them, depending on her answer. then he’d sit on the couch for another hour with his laptop open, typing away on emails and documents. then he’d shower and hop in bed, watching tv for another 30 minutes before inevitably falling asleep, regardless of if annabeth was in bed yet or not. if she was, he’d likely pull her against his chest which was admittedly the best part of her day. she tried to make sure she got in bed with him just for that.

it had become a routine with little change. annabeth was so tired of it.

actually, she was tired in general. work was hard for percy, she knew that. but it wasn’t easy on her either. while percy was in his office, she was usually on the couch or in bed sketching away, occasionally answering emails.

it had been three full days since they’d kissed. and even that one had been a short, chaste kiss. she can’t remember the last time they had _really_ kissed. and god, she missed him so much. 

sticking to routine, she showered before percy got home and sat on the couch with her sketchbook. some tv show played quietly in the background as she repeatedly drew and erased the floor plan for the apartment complex she was finally authorized to design. right on time, at 6:28, percy walked through the door.

“hey,” she called.

“hey, beth,” he said. he walked past the couch, dropping a quick kiss on the top of her head. then he stalked off towards their office. annabeth’s pencil froze when she heard the office door shut and she had the sudden, overwhelming urge to cry. she didn’t know how they’d gotten caught in this loop of hardly seeing each other and never talking. but she’d been hit full force with the realization that they’d been stuck this way for weeks. 

she wanted to get up and talk to him and figure out what was happening to them, but she knew percy’s work was taxing and he couldn’t afford the distraction just yet. work had consumed their lives whole. they both worked six days a week. percy’s day off was saturday and hers was sunday. and even on those days, the majority of the time was used catching up on sleep and typing out emails. 

annabeth didn’t realize she was crying until a tear hit her sketchbook. frustrated, she ripped out the page and crumbled it up, tossing it angrily. she closed her eyes and tilted her head back, facing the ceiling. she could wait another thirty minutes for percy to come out of the office for dinner.

her impatience showed in those next thirty minutes. when the clock hit 7 pm, every passing minute felt like another hour. finally, at 7:09, the office door opened.

“you eat yet, babe?” percy asked, walking towards the kitchen.

“no,” she called. she took a small breath before setting her sketchpad down on the coffee table and following him into the kitchen. she leaned against the island and she watched him throw together an easy pasta. “how was your day?” she asked.

“long.”

that was all she got. the urge to cry hit her again and she dug her teeth into her lip. annabeth crossed her arms over her chest and waited for the feeling to pass before speaking up again.

“it’s been three days since we’ve kissed.”

her voice was soft and hesitant. percy froze in the middle of dicing an onion. he turned the heat on the stove down and looked over at her. “what?”

annabeth shifted. “aside from, like, you kissing my head when you get home. it’s been three days since we’ve kissed.”

percy was silent and annabeth could see him working it out in his head. like a movie, she could see him replaying the past couple of days. he frowned. 

“i didn’t even realize,” he said.

annabeth shrugged. “that’s the point,” she said, her voice coming across much more bitter than she’d intended. “we’ve been so busy, we haven’t made time for each other and we haven’t even realized.”

percy’s eyebrows furrowed. “and that’s my fault?” he spat. 

“no?” she retorted with a scoff. she hadn’t expected either of them to get so angry so fast. “i never said that.”

“it kinda seems like you’re implying it,” he snapped. annabeth tensed and her eyes dropped to her feet. the anger drained out of her in an instant and she was overcome with fatigue and heartache. tears welled up in her eyes again.

“okay,” she said gently, “i’m sorry. i wasn’t trying to imply that it’s on you. i think it’s on both of us.” a single tear slid down her cheek and she looked up at him. percy’’s eyes softened when he saw her crying. he turned the stove off completely and stepped into her space, place his hands on her arms.

“i shouldn’t have snapped, i’m sorry too,” he said gently. for some reason, it made her want to cry more. she closed her eyes and took a shaky breath. percy carefully pulled her against his chest, hugging her tightly.

“it’s been three days,” she said again, “and even that kiss three days ago was while you were on your way out the door. we’re so busy and i can’t… i can’t remember the last time we’ve just kissed. because we can.”

“i know,” he whispered, his chin on top of her head. “i know.”

percy kept an arm around her and pulled back just enough to lift his fingers to her chin, tilting her head up to look at him. annabeth hated that her eyes were still watery. he kissed her forehead once, then leaned down to press his lips against her.

annabeth uncrossed her arms from her chest and wrapped them around his torso as their lips moved against each other slowly. percy took his time, kissing her deeply. her hands grabbed fistfuls of his shirt as she tried her best not to cry again. she didn’t realize just how much she’d missed this until now.

she could hear his little breaths, she could smell his cologne, she could taste his lips, she could feel his heart beating through his chest. her attempts at trying not to cry failed when she broke away and saw his emerald green eyes looking at her. “i’ve missed you so much,” she whispered. percy cupped her jaw.

“i know,” he said. “i miss you too. i love you so much.”

“i love you too,” she replied instantly. percy gave her a soft smile and moved to kiss her again, just as slow. they shifted so that annabeth’s arms were around his neck and his were wound tightly around her waist. the length of his body was pressed against hers and the island counter was pushing into her back. she pulled away with a soft sigh. “do you- are you done working for today?” she whispered.

percy hesitated and annabeth felt her heart sink. he kissed her temple. “give me like ten minutes. i have a call to make and then i’m all yours, beth.”

“okay,” she said quietly. percy kissed her again softly before pulling away completely. he left her in the kitchen and annabeth slid up on to the counter and looked at her hands in her lap. she waited patiently for percy to return. when he did, he instantly stood between her knees and placed his hands on her thighs. he had a playful smile on his lips.

“what?” she asked.

he leaned in and kissed her once. “i still need to discuss it in person with my boss,” he said, “but i’m changing my day off from saturday to sunday.”

annabeth blinked a few times and her hands lifted to rest on his shoulders. “you didn’t have to do that,” she said softly with a small, tentative smile. percy’s hands slid up to her hips.

“i wanted to,” he insisted. “i was so wrapped up in work and i didn’t even realize how busy we’d gotten. we can make sundays our day now.”

annabeth grinned. she liked the sound of that. moving her hand to the back of his neck, she pulled him into another kiss. their lips moved together sweetly. 

“our day,” she mumbled when she pulled away. “i like that.”

annabeth leaned back and her fingers twisted the hair at the nape of his neck. percy’s eyes sparkled and his fingers held her hips tightly.

“thank you,” she said quietly. she felt her emotions rise in her throat. “i love you so much.”

percy smiled. his hands slid under her thighs and he picked her up, holding her against his body. her legs locked around his torso. “i love you more,” he said, kissing her softly. she noticed the mischievous glint in his eye as she started in the direction of their room. “since we’ve been so busy, i guess we have a lot of time to make up for, huh?”

annabeth grinned, excitement coursing through her now. “hmm,” she hummed, “i guess we do.”


End file.
